Improvement in revolving fire-arms



F. P. SLOCUM.

Revolver.

Patented Apr. I4, 1863.4

Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the NITED STATES' FRANK P. SLOOUM, OF BROOKLYN, NEV

PATENT Ormea.

YORK, ASSIGNORTO SAMUEL W.

sLooUM, or SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK P. SLocUM, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsk and State of New York, have invented certain new and -useful Improvements in Revolving following is a full,clear,aud exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specih'cation, in which- Figure l is a side view of a pistol with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same through the rotating cylinder. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same directly through the aXis of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The principal object of my invention is to provide for the loading of a revolving lire-arm with metallic cartridges carrying their own priming in hollow flanges projecting circumferentially around their rear ends without having the revolving cylinder ofthe arm open at its rear end; and to this end it consistsin the construction of a revolving tire-arm with a number of independenily-movable chambers fitted to the revolving cylinder, -their number corresponding with the number of charges the cylinder is to contain.

It also consists in the employment, in combination with such a system of movable chambers arranged to slide in and out ot' the revolving cylinder in a direction parallel withits axis, ot' a stationary piston secured to the frame of the arm for the purpose of expelling thedischarged cartridge-shells from the said chambers by a forward movement of the chambers from the cylinder.

To enable others skilled in theart to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the frame of the arm, constructed sub stantially as in other revolving firearms.

B is the revolving cylinder, fitted to a fixed aXis-pin, C, secured in the fram/s in any suitable manner in a position parallel withihe bore of the barrel.

D D are the independently-movable chambers, made of cylindrical form both internally and externally, their bores being ofF suitable caliber to receive the cylindrical portions of the cartridgeshells, and their length being sufficient to contain the whole of a cartridge, including the bullet. The bores of these chambers are countersunk at the rear ends, as shown at a a in Fig.3, for the reception of the anges b b of the cartridge-shells. The said chambers are fitted to slide longitudinally and turn freely in cylindrical cavitieseabored in the cylinder from its frontend parallel with its axis, at equal distances apart and at equal distances from its axis, the said cavities having openings c c on their outer sides from the front end of the cylinder nearly to their bottoms, a small portion only being of complete circular form` to entirely surround the rear ends of the chambers when the latter are pushed back, and the width of the said openings being slightly greater than the diameter of the tlanged portion of the eartridge-shell. The said cavities are not bored through the rear of the cylinder, but the rear portion isileft solid for a sufficient depth or thickness to form abreech to the several chambers, as shownat d d in Fig. 2. On theexterior of each there is a small projectiomf, which tits snugly into a notch, r, formed in one side of the opening c c in its respective cavity e c of the cylinder, the positions ofthe said projections and notches beingsueh that the said projections can only enter the said notches when the chambers are pushed back to the breech of the cyl inder. Vhen pushed into the said notches the said projections prevent the forward movement of the charnbers in the cylinder.

E is the stationary piston, attached rigidly to the right-hand side of the front part of the frame A, with its head pointing in a rearward direction and its f'acejust in front of the cylinder. This piston is parallel with the axis of the cylinder, and its length is notquite equal to the length ofthe chambers D D. The diameter of its head is such that it ts loosely into the bores of the chambers, but is larger than the interior ofthe cartridge-shells.

To load this lire-arm the cylinder is turned to bring the chambers one at a time opposite to the piston E, and when each chamber has been brought to this position it is turned, by applying the thumb to its projection f, far enough to remove the said projection from its notch g, and the chamber is then slid forward on the piston. lf there be a discharged cartridge-shell in the chamber, the piston stops it from movi n g forward with the chamber beyond the frontof the cylinder7 and the chamber in its continued forward movementleavesthe said shell in the cavity e ofthe cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2, Where F represents the shells. By now turning the right-hand-side ot' the arm downward the shell drops out through the opening c c. The new cartridge is then inserted through the opening c c into the cavity e and the chamber moved back over the said carJ tridge to the breech d, and then turned to bring its projectionfinto the notch g and secure it. On the upper side of Fig aehamber is shown in its place within the cylinder with a cartridge, G, within it. When the chambers are secured in the cylinder the cartridges are secured by reason of the countersinks ad in the chambers being in contact with their anges.

Other means may be adapted to secure the ychambers inthe cylinder; but the projections ff and notches g g form a very convenient means7 and if the projections should slip out ot' with independent longitudinally the notches they will strike the top of the frame in the revolution of the cylinder and so be pushed into the notches, the said projections not being able to clear the top of the frame without being home in their notches.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. rEhe construction of a revolving lire-arm movable chambers, in combination with openings in the sides of the cylinder ot' sufcient size to permit the lateral insertion of metallic cartridges without-removing the chambers entirely from the cylinder.

2. The stationary piston applied in combination with the revolvingeylinder and its independently-movable chambers, substantially as and for the purpose herein descibcd.

FRANK P.' SLOCUM.

Witnesses:

M. S. PARTRIDGE,

G. W. REED. 

